WNBA players skipping national anthem sparks fury
The ‘Outnumbered’ panel weighs in on WNBA players leaving the court during the national anthem. Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom also claims he was kicked out of a game after refusing to move from his courtside seat.
‘Nightcaps’ is a daily column that catches you up on the biggest sports, news, and culture stories you may have missed while pretending to do work at your desk. It runs Monday-Friday on OutKick.com.
We’re eight days out, folks.
Eight days away from Halloween. Hard to believe, right? October is flying by, and for good reason. We’ve got a TON going on right now — and that doesn’t even include the World Series, which starts tonight.
Show of hands … who’s paying attention? I know there’s this big debate about small market teams and lack of interest … blah, blah, blah.
RAYS PUNCH THEIR TICKET TO THE WORLD SERIES, TAKING DOWN GUARDIANS IN GAME 6 TO SET UP SERIES WITH BREWERS
I don’t care. Anything — and I mean anything — beats having to watch the Dodgers. Give me some fresh blood in the Fall Classic. I don’t even like the Rays, but I’ll take them over the alternative.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski threw a stunning 104.5 mph pitch, the hardest ever thrown by a starter. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
Obviously, we’re all rooting for the Brewers, right? Feels like that’s a pretty unanimous choice. If you haven’t watched a single second of Brewers baseball this year, do me a favor and watch the first inning tonight.
BREWERS’ FLAMETHROWER JACOB MISIOROWSKI LIGHTS UP RECORD BOOKS WITH TRIPLE-DIGIT SPEEDS IN GEM VS YANKEES
Wait till you see this Jacob Misiorowski pitch. He’s gonna blow your minds.
On that note, welcome to a Friday Nightcaps — the one where fans (you guys!) weigh in on two things that are pretty top-of-mind at the moment …
Penalties in the NFL, and the ongoing anthem controversies in both the W and NBA.
Spoiler alert: You’re sick of both! I don’t blame you.
What else? I’ve got bedlam in Boone, I thought Kirk Herbstreit was actually really good alongside Al Michaels last night (see, I can be nice!), and let’s check in with UGA fans after last week’s horrible loss to Auburn.
They’re doing great!
OK, grab you some bologna for National Bologna Day, and settle in for a Friday ‘Cap!
Frustrated fans, Part I!
I’m certain we’ve celebrated this day before, because I contend that bologna is one of the more — if not the most — underrated meats on the market.
People dunk on bologna all the time, and it’s baffling to me. I don’t get it.
I’d put a fried bologna sammy over any sammy in this country. I’m dead serious. It’s rare that you can find one anymore, but if you do, you’re in for quite a ride. Nice thick slice of bologna? Cheese? Toasted bun. The best.
Mount Rushmore of deli meats? Sure! Why not?
1. Bologna (duh)
2. Pepperoni (not sure it counts as a deli meat, but I get it from my Publix deli, so it counts today)
3. Turkey (gotta be sandwich-sliced though. If it’s too thin, I walk away. Thinly sliced turkey is for the birds)
4. Roast beef (I had chicken in this spot last year, but I’ve evolved)
And that concludes our culinary portion of today’s class! Gordon Ramsay would be proud.
OK, let’s go ahead and get started by addressing some fan frustration from this past week. First, we’ll start with last night’s flag-fest in Chicago:
Frustrated fans, Part II!
Yikes. Look, I don’t even think last night was that bad when you compare it to the rest of the year, but still … the flags in the NFL are out of control right now.
I believe Al Michaels made a comment about it last night. Whenever there’s a big play, you almost expect a flag. You’re STUNNED when you don’t see one.
That’s not a great place to be. There’s no flow in these games anymore. No rhythm. It’s just a three-hour ref show at this point. I don’t know who to blame, by the way.
The players? The coaches? The league for, at times, forgetting it’s actually tackle football? Everyone probably shares some of it.
Bottom line? It’s hurting the product. Something has to change.
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson talks with referee Adrian Hill during the first half of an NFL game against the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 4, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Moving on …
Yesterday, I asked the class how y’all felt about the ongoing anthem debates raging in both the WNBA and with LeBron James. I was curious, mainly because I’m personally just over it all.
I don’t care anymore. I think it’s all silly and the players doing it are insufferable, but I’m just tired of giving them oxygen at this point. It’s not worth it.
You guys agreed.
Here’s a quick sampling of some of the responses I received — and I received DOZENS of emails last night.
- In my opinion, especially in the case of the WNBA, it’s all marketing so people pay attention (it’s a bad product). But bad press is still press.
- Totally agree about the “fatigue” of LeBron, WNBA, etc. We know how they are and should just quit giving them oxygen and move over them or ignore them.
- Yes, I am sick and tired of hearing about athletes who disrespect the National Anthem.
- I agree with the “anthem fatigue” sentiment. Pulling disrespectful stunts during the anthem is just as old and worn out as leftists calling everything racist or complaining about billionaires (when their entire riot network is funded by billionaires), and now the overuse of the term “woke.” The one trick pony gets old.
- You are absolutely correct about the anthem outrage. At this point they are just looking for attention (and) I just react with my wallet. Haven’t watched an NBA game in years and have never seen a WNBA game.
- This may be one of those times where we just ignore something until it goes away. I’d prefer to never see it and not even know they were being idiots than giving them publicity and probably helping their ratings by talking about them.
Herbie, Boone & UGA’s GPA!
Yeah, I cannot stand LeBron James. He’s awful, and has been for decades now. He’s the worst. But it’s 2026. We’ve known this about LeBron for YEARS now.
Why should I let it bother me anymore? What’s the point? Why am I letting LEBRON JAMES or the WNBA girls affect my mood? It’s silly. I’m over it.
Most of you are, too.
OK, let’s rapid-fire this Friday class into a big weekend of FOOTBALL. First up? I give Herbie and Al Michaels a lot of grief, but I thought Kirk was actually really good last night.
He absolutely nailed the most pivotal moment of the game:
I was screaming at the TV the second I saw it happen. That play was straight out of the Bill Belichick handbook. I thought it was actually brilliant by Mike Vrabel, and I’m no Mike Vrabel fan.
It’s the right call. If you somehow stop them, you have to waste a timeout. That’s one.
They’re gonna go for it because Ben Johnson is Ben Johnson. The chances of getting another stop on 4th and inches are very slim. If you don’t, the game is basically over because you’re only going to have one timeout left and they’ll have a new set of downs.
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I’d take my chances with the 58-yard field goal any day of the week in that spot. Good work, Herbie! Less of the dog, and more of THAT!
Next? While everyone was watching that Bears-Pats ending, I was dialed in on the App. State-JMU game over in Boone.
And buddy, it was college football at its finest:
THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!
I mean, it’s just the best. This season, more than any other I can remember, has really separated college and the NFL for me. Right now, college football is clearly No. 1 and it’s not particularly close.
It’s just a better all-around product at the moment, and the gap is getting wider by the week.
OK, that’s it for today. Good class, everyone. While we’re talking some college football, I leave you with this incredible message board regarding the University of Georgia football team.
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It just means more in the SEC, baby!
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See you Monday.
